Improvement in governors for steam-engines



NWW-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. VILLOUGHBY, OF IVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IAN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Spec'iication forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,446, datcd April 20, 1875; application filed March 27, 1874.

To all whom it may concer-n Be it ,known that I, JAMES D. WILLoUeE- BY, of the city and county of Washington, in. the District of Columbia, have invented a new and Improved Governor for Steam-Engines, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in

4 whichvide in connection with the sensitive governor a steam-valve, operated thereby, of such construction as to be perfectly balanced by the steam-pressure at all times, and thus offer little or no impediment to the action of the governor.

'lo these ends my invention consists. primarily, in the employment of two rings, pivoted to a common axis passing through a horizontal driving-shaft, the rings being connected by two springing arms, connecting each ot' them with a sleeve sliding on the horizontal shaft, the outward motion of the rings being resisted to a slight degree by the spring of the arms, until the force reaches a certain degree, when the force of the rings overcome the springs and force the arms and sleeve along the shaft horizontally.

My invention further consists in an elbowlever having a horizontal long arm, and a vertical short arm, the latter being connected to the horizontal shaft of the governor at its upper end, in such a manner as to bear against the sliding collar or sleeve thereon, while the former is attached about midway of its length to a vertical rod of the steam-valve. The lever is pivoted at its elbow, and is operated by the pressure of the sliding sleeve on the governor-shaft against its upper end.

My invention also consists in an adjustable weight, arranged on the free end of the long arm ofthe elbow-lever below the same, said weight being adjustable vertically and longitudinally, so as to regulate the degree of force required to close the valve.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction hereinafter more fully set forth.

ln the drawings, A represents the steamchest having vertical standards B B projecting from its upper end', in which are the bearings of a horizontal shaft, C. D D are lnetallic rings, pivoted one within the other upon a transverse axis, E, extending through the shaft C. The rings D, when at rest, are at opposite angles with the shaft C, and each is connected by a spring-arm, F, with a sliding collar or sleeve, G, on the shaft C. H is an elbow-lever, having a vertical arm, hl, and a horizontal arm, h2. Said lever is pivoted at its elbow to a bracket on one of the standards B, and its upper end is provided with an orice, which incloses the shaft C, and bears against the end of the collar Gr. The horizontal arm h2 of the lever H passes through the upper end of a vertical rod, J, which is attached to the valve K within the steam-chest A. L represents a weight or collar, screwed on the end of the arm h2, so as to be adjustable horizontally on the latter. M is a pendent weight located on a vertical screw-stem, N, depending from the collar L, and therefore adjustable horizontally and vertically. L1 is a conical nut or collar arranged on the arm h2, so as to be screwed into or out of a vertical slot, L3, in one of the standards B. The valve K is a hollow cylinder open at both ends, and provided with external anges O l? at its upper and lower ends, said anges extending little more than half-way across the annular space R between the valve and steam-chest. S is an internal ilange projecting` from the steam-chest near its lower end. The ange S is of the same width as the flanges O P, and is located at the same distance above the lower iiange P of the valve that the upper flange O of the latter is below the top ofthe steam-chest, so that when the valve is raised its flanges come in contact with the ange S and top of the chest simultaneously. T represents a pulley located on the end ofthe shaft C, and connected by a belt, U, with the driving-wheel of the engine. V is a shaft located in suitable bearings on the steam-chest under the horizontal arm h2 of the lever H, and having a cam, W, on its inner end, which bears against the arm h2. The shaft V is bent at right angles at its outer end, a crank or elbow, Z, being thus formed, in the outer end of which is journaled a pulley, a., bearing on the belt U, as shown in In the operation of the parts described the shaft C is rotated by power from the driving-wheel of the engine. The rings D being independent of each other and pivoted to a transverse axis, it will .be seen that their tendency is to assume a vertical position by centrifugal force, when the shaft is rotated with sufficient rapidity. This movement results in sliding the collar G along the shaft C, by means of the arms F, raising the horizontal arm h2 of the elbow H by the pressure of the collar against its vertical arm h1, thereby raising and closing the valve to a degree corresponding to the angle of the rings D, the valve being entirely shut off when the rings reach their highest or most nearly vertical position, as will be readily understood; hence the higher the speed of the engine the more nearly the valve is closed.

The construction and arrangement of the rings D make them extremely sensitive to centrifugal force, and as the valve K is of such construction as to be perfectly balanced, it follows that the valve is liable to be closed by a low degree of speed in the engine; hence it is necessary to provide means for counteracting this over-sensitiveness, and for preventing the valve from rising until a certain definite rate of speed is attained. These ends are accomplished, first, by the spring-arms F, which have a tendency to prevent the rings from approaching a vertical position, and this tendency having to be overcome by the rings before they can rise; secondly, by the auxiliary spring P,. which presses against the vertical arm h1 of the elbow-lever A; and, thirdly, by the adjustable weights L M7 the object of the former being more particularly to load down the valve, so that it will not rise until the desired speed of the engine has been reached, while the latter, M, being below the horizontal line of the arm h2, acts as an auxiliary to the springs F P in overcoming the sensitiveness of the governor, its leverage on the horizontal arm h2 increasing as the latter swings upward on its pivot. The governor a-nd valve, thus balanced and regulated, may be compared in their operation to grocers7 scales, which do not move until the desired weight is upon them, when a few grains in addition will carry the whole. So, in my device no effect is produced on the valve until the desired rate of speed is attained, when a slight increase will operate the valve, this degree of speed being adjustable by moving the weights along the arm h2. The pulley a and crank-shaft Z constitute an automatic device for closing the valve in case of the breakage of the belt U and the consequent stoppage of the governor. The pulley Y resting on the belt naturally drops when the belt breaks, and, turning the arm Z and its horizontal part, causes its cam W to bear on the horizontal arm h2, raising the same and closing the valve, thereby guarding against the engine running without means of control. The pulley T has a wide iiange, O2, on its inner side, which prevents the belt from falling where it Will obstruct the descent of the pulley. When it is not desirable to entirely stop the engine, in consequence of the stoppage of the governor, but to partially close the valve, the conical collar L1 is screwed along the arm until its smaller end enters the slot L2 of the standard B. The vertical movement of the arm h2 is thus restricted in proportion to the extent that the collar enters the slot. This device is designed particularly for use in connection with rolling-mills, where the entire stoppage of the engine would involve the chilling of the iron in the rolls.

By my construction of centrifugal device, herein described, the weight of the rings is uniformly distributed, and I am enabled to throw the same amount of weight on each side of the common diameter of the rings, and on each side of the governor-shaft, and thereby lessen the friction of the parts, while I entirely obviate pinching. It will also be seen that, by the employment of the pendent and adjustable weight M, as the horizontal arm h2 is raised, the distance of the pendent weight M from its fulcrum is increased, thus rendering the weight one of varying resistance, the spring P also co-acting and its tension increasing as the arm h2 of the elbow-lever H is raised.

I claim as new and my inventionl. The rings D D, in combination with the spring-arms F F and sleeve Gr, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The pivoted elbow-lever H, consisting of the arms h1 h2, in combination with the valve K and sleeve G, whereby a horizontal motion, given by the centrifugal device to the arm h1 produces a vertical motion in the arm h2 and valve K, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The pendent weight M, of varyin g resistance or force, in combination with the arm h2 of the elbow-lever H, and spring P, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

4. The adjustable-nut or sleeve L1, in combination with the arm h2 and slot L2, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES D. WILLOUGHBY.

Witnesses:

N. K. ELLsWoR'rH, MELVILLE CHURCH. 

